HIGH NOTES: Church serves community, hike for special needs

HIGH NOTES: Church serves community, hike for special needs

With the Long Trail as a backdrop, Al Mackay is shown enteral (tube) feeding and atop Jay Peak with sister Barbara.

Photographer: SHUTTERSTOCK/LAURA KNAPP/AL MACKAY

In Clifton Park, members of the Northway Church are hosting their annual Serve Week, a series of events and projects to help people in Clifton Park and surrounding communities. The service “week” actually comprises most of the month of August. Since the beginning of the month, the church has been collecting school supplies to place in backpacks for needy children in the area. Today, they’ll be at the church baking cookies and brownies for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Albany. On Tuesday, the church is hosting a blood drive from 1-6 p.m. Throughout the rest of the month, they’ll be preparing school supplies, making meals at the Schenectady City Mission, making crafts for children at Albany Medical Center and performing other services. For more information on Serve Week and to volunteer or donate, visit www.northwaychurch.tv.

In Stillwater, cancer survivor Al Mackay recently completed a 272-mile hike of Long Trail in Vermont to raise more than $15,000 for a program that helps provide feeding assistance for people with cancer and other illnesses. Mackay, who has survived several bouts with cancer, began his month-long trek on June 17 and completed it on July 19, all the while getting his nutrition for the effort enterally, or through a special tube. With the help of members of his family, he was able to surpass his $15,000 goal through donations and pledges-per-mile. The money will help the Oley Foundation, a national, non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of those living with home intravenous nutrition (parenteral) and tube feeding (enteral) through education, advocacy and networking. To learn more about the Oley Foundation and to make a donation, visit https://oley.org.

SHARE YOUR HIGH NOTESHigh Notes is a Monday feature of The Gazette Opinion section spotlighting the good being done in our communities by individuals, charitable organizations, schools, colleges and businesses. Send your suggestions for High Notes to Editorial Page Editor Mark Mahoney at [email protected]